To Collect Butterflies
by ThreadsToFeathers
Summary: Silent is invading Kisaragi once again, eleven years later. Atsuki returns for the first time since the witch-hunt, and tries to stay away from his friends in fear that they might not have remembered him. But it is unevitable when chaos spreads with a single flap of a butterfly wing... T for coarse language, dark themes, and male x male fluffs. Rating may change. R
1. Prologue

_**I'M SORRY FOR THE LONG AS HELL AUTHOR'S NOTE, BUT PLEASE READ IT!**_

**MY FIRST STORY. I hope I won't disappoint. :P THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS! AND THIS GAME SHOULD NOT BE SPOILED! XD**

**The first chappy! Er, prologue! Yay... ahaha. BTW, there will be large character descriptions in here. You've been warned. D: I will put single 0s where the descriptions will be. And also angst, suicide, stuff of the like. Typical Lux-Pain themed stuff. And I PROMISE not to go OOC. Too much. XD Of course there may be some for the whole angsty stuff I'll be putting in here...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING except the story. If I owned the game, I would not make Mako die. : I would make someone else that's even MORE loved die so EVERYONE gets angsty and eventually tries to commit suicide! Yay~**

**BTW, when I say 685 Silent, I don't mean the smaller bugs, I mean the big dudes that you meet with Lil, Edward Steiner, and that one dude that called himself a spy. Graham Miller, I think it was. I don't remember. It's actually been a while since I played the not-loved-enough game...**

**ALSO: I will not put in a character description if the person has not had anything changed about them. Such as Akira. If even one detail changed, though, I will add the whole description... and hopefully get it right.**

**0000 - means scene transition**

**Just so you know, this WILL be an Akira/Atsuki. With FLUFF. NO SEX. ): Shame on you! XD Ahaha, actually, I have no idea how far it'll go. It'll be mostly fluff though 'cause I love fluffy things. X3 If it gets... graphic, I'll change the rating to M. Tell me if you wish it to be "graphic" or not, ja? Horny bastards... XD**

_**T for Language, dark themes, coarser language than in the game, and things that some younger folk are too immature/innocent to handle. Yes, there will be homosexual fluff here. Please ladies and gentlemen, be mature. I dearly ask this of you. I'm tired of internet trolls, thank you very much. Don't like it? Move away and don't complain. I don't give a shit. See? Language already, and the story hasn't even started. XD**_

**Summary:**

**Silent is invading Kisaragi once again, eleven years later. Atsuki returns for the first time since the witch-hunt, and tries to stay away from his friends in fear that they might not have remembered him. But it is unevitable when chaos spreads with a single flap of a butterfly wing...**

October 1st, 2019**. Cockatrice**

Darkness.

All he saw every time he looked into the inner hell of a person or animal. Darkness. He was burdened with the task of reading the minds of others and killing Silent. He would touch the heart of another, freeze his own heart, read their thoughts, eradicate the Silent, and all would be well unless they were too far gone. In such cases, they would have their minds erased. He would then leave the city after his job was done. That's how it was, that's how it always would be.

But it started being different.

He showed concern for others. They showed concern for him. He grew attached to them. Too attached. Eventually, quitting FORT and staying with his friends actually entered his mind when he was about to leave Kisaragi. In fact, it didn't just enter. It invaded his mind, assasinating his reasoning and murdering his apathetic ways. It set off an explosion of sadness in his heart and stayed like a ghost, always coming back to haunt him. Sadness, for he knew that he could not do such a thing. He became FORTs valuable resource, and as soon as he quit, they would lose to Silent.

As soon as they lost to Silent, the world ended.

And if the world ended, his friends would die. His new family would die. Everything he held dear to him would lay in a sea of blood, their souls forever trapped in darkness. His new family... their deaths being just like that of his old family... His mask would _almost_ break just at the thought of it.

And so he left, the memories of him even existing vanishing into thin air, as if it was not worth remembering. As if _he_ wasn't worth remembering. He banished the thought to the back of his mind, scared of Silent using his sadness and loneliness to kill him and others.

He missed them all so, _so_ much...

0

**Atsuki Saijo, 5'7, born in Japan. His hair is the color of ash, hanging one inch below his shoulders and in a ponytail. The hair that isn't long enough to be tied in the ponytail frames his fair, feminine-yet more narrow-face. One of his eyes is as gold and blazing as the sun, the other darker and more mysterious than the night sky. A black eye contact covers his golden eye, and a black shoulder length glove covers his left arm. He wears a black jacket with a white undershirt and black pants. His Lux-Pain is in the form of a ring, which turns his left eye gold and covers his left arm in black patterns when used. It allows him to feel the invisible world to find the existance of darkness. Hobbies include listening to music and almost getting himself killed over and over. Twenty-eight years old.**

**0**

It's been eleven years since he had destroyed the Original, and the number of Silent infectees decreased dramatically.

But they were still everywhere. It was thought that there were only six-hundred eighty-five Silent, and that Atsuki wiped out the last two in Kisaragi, as well as the original.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. FORT had unexpectadly lost many telepaths over the short month Atsuki was gone, and only had enough to send one to every fourth country. It only added to around fifty, and there was still too much Silent around to possibly ignore, so it was obvious that Atsuki could not leave FORT. They would need their best telepath, who had officially destroyed over one thousand smaller Silent last year, and prevented more from spreading.

Technically, though, they had fifty-one telepaths. The most recent two arrived within the last week.

0

**Kenshin Enoki, 5'5, born in Japan. His hair is black and messy, reaching the middle of his neck. His eyes are a bright piercing blue, but hold a perpetual unamused expression. He wears a black muffler to hide his Lux-Pain, which is a choker that prints black patterns on his back. He wears black skinny jeans and a belt with key patterns. His shirt is a hooded loose jacket which is also black. He has powers similar to Atsuki, but they are weak. It takes a while for him to reach into another's mind, so he cannot do so while others are looking, or risk getting called a weirdo and get arrested for being a 'degenerate'. Hobbies include sleeping, playing his acoustic guitar, and looking at porn. It's often the reason why he has a lump on his head in the morning and an angry sister by his side. Twenty years old.**

0

**Chouko Enoki, 5'5, born in Japan. Her hair is black with a slight wave, like a river, reaching the middle of her back. Her eyes are like her twin brother's, but they hold a child-like curiosity and interest in everything. She wears a white long sleeved turtleneck to hide her Lux-Pain print, which travels down her neck, over her shoulders, and to her wrists. She wears a black knee-length skirt and black boots that cover her shins. Her Lux-Pain is in the form of a bracelet. She has the same powers as Natsuki, which makes it very hard for her brother to look at porn. Her hobbies include painting, looking at flowers, buying floral print EVERYTHING, and hurting her brother whenever she finds anything related to porn. Twenty years old.**

0

**Natsuki Venefskuja, 5'4, born in Europe. Her curly twin-tails are pale teal, and both of her eyes sparkle in a bright golden color. Hobbies include getting as much free time as she can and spending that free time with her obsession, Atsuki. She, along with Nola and occasionally another telepath, have to make sure that the twins don't destroy everything each morning. Atsuki could tell it was wearing down on her because her voice was getting more and more tired and she seemed less peppy. He was glad that her loud, piercing voice quieted down, but he was also concerned for the poor girl. Twenty-four years old.**

**0**

Those two lively twins were introduced to Atsuki one day when Natsuki told him about a strange Shinen in the area he was at, saying that it was probably the Silent they've been searching for. The two stumbled across the screen, the male running away from the female who was armed with(somehow) a steel pipe. Atsuki witnessed the death of many computers that day.

He was in a rather well known city in a very well known state in America. He was in Spokane, Washington. The Lilac City, the birthplace of Father's Day, so on. He's been here before, actually, and quite frankly loved the city. Not for the people, no, they weren't anything special. But the parks, rivers, ponds, simple trees, beautiful morning and evening skies, and the way that each season had the same weather patterns and temperatures as in story books and such soothed him.

It was a lot like Kisaragi City weather, he realised... The snow in December, spring air in April, summer heat in July. The falling leaves in October...

He shook his head. Now was not the time to think about that. He was told of a psychotic and depressed Shinen here. He sensed said Shinen, and had found it.

There, on the park bench, was a lady with a stroller next to her.

She had tree bark brown hair and green, tired, depressed eyes. He had to guess that she was around her early thirties. He felt a strong, creepy Shinen of a satisfied killer eminating from her when walking around the famous River Front Park mixed with a guilty concience. It was obvious that she was infected even without reading her thoughts. He slightly narrowed his eyeborws in concentration and delved into her mind...

_My daughter..._

_Should return..._

_Silly __**girl**__..._

_She'll __**return**__ through this __**child**__..._

Reborn **perfect!**

_**I KNOW IT...**_

_That stain on the counter back at home..._

_**Wasn't there before...**_

_NOT __**THAT ONE.**_

_She was a __lie__..._

_**DISSAPOINTMENT**_

_OUTRAGE_

**UGLY **_and _**TAINTED**

_This one will be__ the most perfect child..._

The other Shinen was of regret and self hatred. It remembers a child that isn't the one next to her. It can barely tell what is reality or what is a dream, but still softly holds its grip on the real world.

_What am I doing..?_

_Not __**right...**_

_Who is this child..?_

_Where is __**Hona..?**_

_**Precious Hona...**_

_What have I __**done..?**_

_**Where am I... Reality?**_

_Or Fake?_

_**Dreaming?**_

_Not?_

_**Help**_

_I'm not me_

_Save me __**please...**_

_**Someone **_kill me...

_I deserve __**death...**_

The two Shinen clash with each other. One knows how horrible the act is and is full of sadness and self hatred, the other sees imperfect people as things, is selfish, and doesn't care. The two merge and form a whole other Shinen. One of a fearful serial killer.

_Headache..._

_**Watch for the **__**woman...**_

_Is that her?_

_KILL HER._

_Kill all witnesses._

_**Destroy evidence...**_

**How?**

**Does anyone know?**

_Don't want to end up in __**jail...**_

_**A man is staring at me...**_

_**Dark, **__**accusing**__** black eyes...**_

_HE KNOWS __**SOMETHING**_

**STAB HIM**

**MAKE HIM **_**BLEED!**_

_**HAHAHAHAHA!**_

_He'll know what happens when one messes with me..._

**The mother of **_**perfection!**_

Suddenly, time seems to stop. The world around Atsuki seems to crack like a broken mirror. His Lux-Pain, Gawain, shines on his finger with an eerie red light. The cardnal light surrounds his hand, and with a sudden burst, shatters the world. All of the pieces seem to fall down to nothingness, and he is surrounded by darkness.

A pair of yellow eyes appear from the darkness, and the black world turns into a dark shade of violet. The realm pulses like a heart, and where a pair of eyes was stood a dangerous and large insect that looked like a cross between a lizard, a beetle, and a spider. It stands on its gray legs and roars like the monster it is, sending four dark shadows to Atsuki. As the shadow is being created, it seems to whisper to him.

_A world of Darkness, this is not reality... Come to the real world... Come to me... Succumb to death... Spread death..._

An ability of Silent; to absorb bad emotions and transform them into energy for themselves or attacks. Being as experienced as he is, Atsuki dodges one as it whizzes past him and sends back the others with Gawain, a reflective barrier surrounding his hand. When they come in contact, the orbs of darkness immediatly burn with a golden light. The violet world pulses a bright gold each time one light sphere strikes the mutant insect. It cries out in pain, the apathetic but determined Atsuki not pitying it in any way.

"Honestly, hardly worth my time."

Glaring at the second being to invade the woman's mind, the Silent howls furiously. Seven spherical shadows surround Atsuki, each protected by a diamond case that looked similar to glass. The shadows grow and grow in size, pulsing every second.

With a growl, Atsuki leaps at one of the protected shadows, his entire arm bursting with light. His left eye glows immensly, shaming the sun and all of its glory.

The light pulsing from his ring and arm suddenly gathers and takes the form of a ribbon. It wraps around the left limb like a sleeve. His fingers start to morph, elongating and ending in a deadly point, reaching farther and farther down until it touches the base of his knee when his arms are held at his sides. The golden light rectracts back into the form of tattoos on his arm and the red pulse from Gawain, which is now in the form of obsidian claws, black as his left eye.

The tips of his claws come in contact with the barrier, sparks flying in every direction. With an inaudible grunt, he continues stabbing at it at an unfollowable pace. His arm continues to strike over and over, occasionally twitching to the point of looking like it's having a seizure. With one more quick jab straight to the middle, the barrier breaks, the pieces of glass flying around his body.

He quickly slashes at the ball of blackness, his scissor hands acting like the barrier and turning the orb brighter with each strike. The claws are moving like a hummingbird's wings, blurred from the speed at which they flow. He continuously claws through the shadows, and he doesn't stop until it turns a bright, pure white. When it does, it grows and solidifies like water in cold temperatures. Atsuki fits it into his black palm and claws before powerfully hurling it towards the Silent.

He continues with the other six, not a single one exploding in a mass of black smoke and flames as it does if he waits too long.

The Silent cries out in agony, and a flare of bad Shinen is flung at Atsuki as it slowly dissolves into nothing.

_This world is imperfect_

_Night eclipses the land in shadow_

_King of the Night_

_Gray world_

_Death is perfection_

_Everyone writhe in pain below me_

_Black blood shall write the course of history_

_No such thing as true light_

_Everyone hates, no one loves_

_Greed. Murder. Insanity. Dellusion._

_No hope for the weak_

_I am God_

_I am powerful_

_Bow before me, the perfect one_

_You will suffer without me_

_In darkness I reign forever_

_Killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillKillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillKill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillKillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillKillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killKillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkillkillkillkillkillkill killkill_

_**GREEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**_

The world around him shines, and Atsuki's concience is returned to the visible world. The woman on the bench abruptly stands up. She looks around, then down at the child in the stroller. Her eyes widen and tear up. Scared that she will be thrown in jail if caught with another woman's child, she runs away, crying. Her heels clack against the pavement, no one even bothering to glance at her, paying too much attention to their activities to care. Atsuki waits close by the stroller, not leaving until the mother finds her child.

Another woman with bright blond hair, blue eyes, and a very worried expression turns the corner and enters his vision a few minutes later. She spots the child, and feeling the relieved Shinen rising up in her, Atsuki assumes that she is the infant's mother, and leaves the scene.

That woman before had stolen the mother's child, who was beautiful and perfect in her eyes. She took the baby, planning on replacing her deceased daughter, Hona, with the child. Consumed by Silent, she killed Hona years ago, the imperfection she saw in her child's eyes becoming disgusting to her. It's a wonder that nothing else has happened since the child's death.

Concerned that the woman may kill herself after regaining her reason, Atsuki follows the brunette.

0000

She is standing in a parking lot next to a light pole. Everything seemed to be frozen in time. The edges of the sky on the horizon is painted a brilliant gold as the sun sinks into it, slowly ending the existance of twilight. Her eyes are fixated on the burning, beautiful sun. She looks down and into her hands, her gaze traveling up a shining, sharp edge of silver, stained a rusty red from blood spilled in the past.

"Why?" She asked the sun this question, a thousand words spoken in one simple sigh of desperation, hopelessness, and finality. She doesn't notice the beautiful young man aproaching her silently, though he is walking up to her directly. The man clears his throat, and she looks up, startled. She shies two steps away as he takes two more steps towards her. She flinches as the man places both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes, tears spilling from her own. His eyes, they are so young and beautiful, filled with mystery and wisdom. She feels as if she's been hit with a search light. They are filled with an appropriate amount of concern and pain, slightly drooping so she sees the sadness in his eyes. Those eyes cry out to her...

"Please, that is enough. You needn't do this to yourself. You regret what you had done, and you have been forgiven," he says to her, a look of sympathy etched on his features.

More tears continue flowing. She is frozen to the spot, staring into those all-seeing eyes. He places a hand on the knife, and removes it from her grasp, replacing it with a pack of ice and a note attatched to it. He walks away, and she is still frozen. Still as a statue, she watches the mysterious man leave with the knife that slaughtered her daughter.

It is not until the sun has completely vanished from sight that she is able to move once again, and she slowly opens the note.

"When life hurts, do not harm yourself to take the mind off of the pain. If you ever feel the need to replace ugly thoughts with physical hurt, use ice. It is a safer way to take the mind off of it all. Stay safe and do your best to do good from now on as repentance."

The woman smiles softly as more tears roll down her cheeks. '_How sweet of him.. Despite what I've done... What a strange young man...'_ She walks off on her own, and heads home.

The man smiles, feeling accomplished after stopping one more death from occuring too quickly. The darkness of the night is absorbed in his eyes and replaced by a kind light. He treads down the lonely, dark sidewalk, his job done for the night.

The last Silent in America: Exterminated.

000

A melodic and happy ring of bells is heard in a shop with a very home-like atmosphere. Light blue and pink large tiling covers the floor. The white walls are decorated with large, beautiful paintings, and some furniture items can be seen here and there. The dark brown ceiling is held up by wooden beams of the same color. Wooden tables are scattered around the floor, wooden chairs with pink cushions accompanying them. Comforting lights are strung on the ceiling. Every other light has a pumpkin on it, giving the room a slightly orange glow. It's a very busy place, with many people settling down and eating pastries of many kinds.

A young red-haired woman enters the shop. She looks as if she is in high school.

"Welcome! Oh, Yayoi! It's been a while since you've stopped by! You should come by more often, y'know?" A young man with green hair greets her. Yayoi laughs nervously, and bows her head a little in apology.

"Sorry, Akira. I'm always at home trying to get Momo to finish her homework..."

0

**Yayoi Akiyama, 5'2, born in Japan. Her hair is as red as blood, reaching the base of her spine. Her eyes are incredibly dark and red, but are also very kind and motherly. She doesn't look much different from when she was in school. She wears a blue top that has frills on the neck and the base of the sleeves over a long-sleeved pink dress that goes down past her knees. She is an Art Therapist. Her hobbies include painting, drawing, wandering around her favorite places in the city, and taking care of her reckless six year-old child, Momo. Married to Hiraku Akiyama at twenty years of age, had their child two years after that. She is twenty-eight years old.**

0

**Momo Akiyama, 3'3, born in Japan. Her hair is hot pink, and it only reaches down to her shoulders when loose. It's very curly, and tends to be in twin tails. Her eyes are a bright blue. She wears a bright blue T-shirt with a lime-green undershirt and skirt. She has blue tennis shoes and a bright blue headband in her hair. She's a student at Meiko Elementary, currently a first grader. Her hobbies include drawing on EVERYTHING, asking lots of questions, not doing any of her homework, and eating garlic. Six years old.**

0

**Hiraku Akiyama, 5'7, born in Japan. His hair is as white as a cloud on a bright day, is curly and reaches barely past his head. His eyes are a bright blue, shining with kindness. They make it look like he's laughing on the inside, as if he's constantly happy for no reason. He wears a bright white vest with a blue undershirt, and brown khakis. He has a pendant in the shape of a message in a bottle around his neck. He works as a police officer. His hobbies include looking at scenery, watching bugs, and taking photos of cloud formations and horizons. Twenty-nine years old.**

0

Akira shakes his head and chuckles heartily.

"Nah, s'okay. I used to do the exact same thing, remember? Of course I quickly grew out of that 'cause of pops 'n all... Ahaha... Oh, Mika and Rui are already here, by the way. Have a seat!"

In the back of the room are two women that appear to be the same age as Yayoi. One of them is trying to steal a strawberry off of the other's cake while she is waving at Yayoi. Her eyes sparkle with mischeif as she plucks a frosting coated red berry off of the cake. She strips it of it's frosting and eats the naked berry whole, her eyes now shining with flavor ecstasy.

"Um... Rui, Mika's stealing your strawberries," Yayoi says shyly while giggling to herself. The blonde woman, Rui, looks down at her cake with wide eyes. She counts the number of strawberries to herself to make sure, and sure enough, there were only four out of six strawberries on her cake. The blunette, Mika, laughs nervously.

"Ahh, sorry, umm... Thanks for the strawberries?" She continues to grin sheepishly while a red vein pops out of Rui's head. '_Uh oh, looks like the culprit has been caught, hahaha,'_ Mika thinks to herself.

"Nngrrrr... I'ma KICK you..!" Rui growls like a feline as she jumps out of her seat and stomps around the table. Mika gives a loud squeak of pain as a foot is connected with her shin, and she leaps out of her seat. She whimpers pathetically as she caresses her bruised leg.

"Oww! Rui, that wasn't nice," she whines. Rui just grumbles softly about her precious strawberries being stolen.

"So, what'll you be having, Mrs. Akiyama?" Yayoi laughs a little at the sudden formality Akira jokingly presents towards her.

"I'll have a 'Mont Blanc', please." Akira nods and yells at his dad, Kenichi Mido, to make the desert and all of the other items that other customers are waiting for. Kenichi yells back at Akira, telling him to not create a disturbance and calls him a punk again. He chuckles and wishes them a nice time. With other orders to fill, he scoots off to the rest of the waiting customers.

"So, how's Momo?" Rui asks this while stealing two strawberries from Mika's desert for payback.

"Ah, still a little troublemaker. Nothing I can't handle, but I sure do wish I could get another babysitter for her... Nami's still an adventurist, and with having to babysit Momo, I feel like I'm holding her back," Yayoi says with guilt. She sighs and leans back in her chair a little, seemingly tired all of the sudden. Rui and Mika exchange worried glances.

"... You had another suicidal patient, didn't you," Rui says more like a fact than a question. Yayoi nods and flinches a little, feeling slightly more disturbed.

"It was horrible, not to mention that it was a little girl. What she painted was just so disturbing... There was the Saint Maria Church, burning to the ground. The people were all burnt black... Some people had blades protruding from them... The sky was just so _gray..._ I didn't think a little girl could've thought of something so disturbingly violent and sad..." She sighs again. "I honestly didn't know what to think, let alone say. I was on the verge of tears!" She closes her eyes, as if wiping the real world from her vision will eradicate the thoughts in her mind... But it only increased the potency of them and she snapped her eyes back open in horror. Rui looks at her in empathy.

"I've told fortunes for people who were doomed with futures almost as violent as that painting... But honestly, I hadn't heard of something so horrid since-" She stopped talking suddenly. Silence fills the air around the group, the clacking of utensils and idle chatter around them just noise. Mika looks between the two, confusion and concern filling her eyes.

"Yayoi..? Rui? Are you... okay?" Yayoi nods slightly, and Rui looks to Mika. She sighs and slouches, staring at her cake without interest. She reaches into her pocket and fumbles with an old cheesy doll falling apart at the seems. Mika sees this, and doesn't ask further.

With understanding, the group stays silent. Sadness is etched onto each of their faces, pained by a string of good memories that ended much too soon. They were all thinking about one thing. One person, to be exact.

Atsuki Saijo.

He came as quickly as he left. He was only there for such a short amount of time, and so long ago, each thought they would have gotten over his disappearance by now. Nontheless, they made such beautiful memories... If it wasn't for Rui, those memories would have ceased to exist. It was cruel, how he tried to make everyone forget him and just left without a word. Over time, with the gang's help, people started to remember Saijo. They were all just as mournful over his lack of presence. They all knew he was not coming back, so it was almost as if he had died.

"Okay, one Mont... oh," was all Akira could say when he saw the solemn expressions of his friends. He knew exactly what they were thinking about, for only _that_ could make them this way. He became infected with the contageous illness, and soon enough the entire store seemed a little more gray. Those who did not know of _him_ looked around in confusion, shrugged their shoulders, and went back to eating.

"... Well," Akira spoke, "we really shouldn't be so down on a day like this... I mean, it's pretty outside, there are desserts everywhere... urk..." He scratched his arm, feeling weirdly awkward and depressed at the same time. He didn't do well at brightening up the atmosphere when Atsuki was involved. Everyone loved him, after all.

He loved the mysterious man, too. He'd even say it out loud. Saijo was, like, his best friend! And he _never _gives that title away to anyone. He considers all of his friends to be a sort of family to him, so Atsuki was a _really _special case. He always made eveyone so happy, even with that quiet attitude of his, and he just up and left everyone after that witch-hunt incident occured. He was a miracle in human form...

Now _he _couldn't be uplifted from the sadness. '_It's been eleven years, and yet we're still like this... And the city is returning to the state it was in before Saijo appeared..._

_Damn it, Atsuki... Why'd you have to go?!'_

He sighed, overwhelmed with the suddenly heavy atmosphere, and left to continue his baking.

After eating in silence, they said their goodbyes, and left without another word.

The sun slowly sank down into the ocean, the moon taking its place.

Day one, end.

000

**HOLY MOTHER OF EVERYTHING LONG AND ARDUOUS.**

**I hate taking long amounts of time doing things because I think there aren't any errors in them and then BOOP!**

**Four errors. =_= Erk.**

**No, the chapters won't be completely cool sounding like in the game. I'm too stupid for that. XD I'm only 15, gimme a break!**

**Atsuki has the glove because of the patterns that appear on his arm. He's now more careful than before about that... Hmm, I wonder why... I'll put that in the storyline. :D**

**Soooo tell me. Good, bad, should burn off my fingers and break my keyboard? Ways I can make it better? TELL MEH IN A REVIEW. I need improvement! I'll fix whatever needs fixing.**

**See the nice little box down there?**

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~V**

**... God, my eyes hurt from staring at the screen for too long.**

**Edit: Boop! Four more errors. Again. Hopefully that's the last of them... At least, almost. For this chapter.**


	2. Pandora

**OKAY, Atsuki is going to be EXTREMELY OOC in here... Y'know, for drama and such. Gotta love a little pain. But it's been eleven years... He's bound to have changed somehow... ^^; *whistles* That, and he may have contracted something, mufufufufu...**

**The titles of each chapter from here on out will go according to the chapter names in Lux-Pain. Yes, it is because I'm too lazy to come up with anything better. Sorry, but, yeah... Brain hurt.**

**Disclamer: I do not own Lux-Pain or any of its characters. I only own this story and its OCs. If I owned Lux-Pain, all grammar errors would be fixed and it would have better gameplay. For instance, Atsuki would actually be able to move, and the Silent bosses would be actual fight scenes, not poking bubbles while a bug taunts you with bad thoughts.**

**But mostly the grammar errors need fixing. Anyway... I'm not sure if I said this already, but if you need me to explain Lux-Pain, I'd be happy to do so. It can get a little confusing. I've played it a few times and looked over everything, so I'm pretty sure I got it down...**

October 2nd, 2019. **Pandora**

"WE'RE GOING BACK TO KISARAGI!"

After Atsuki had returned to FORT, this was the very first thing he had heard.

And _by God was he startled._

At first he didn't even believe his ears. Was he dreaming? No, maybe his ears and mind were playing cruel tricks on him. He already solved Kisaragi's Silent problems. It shouldn't be the next most Silent populated city, nor should it be coming anywhere near the eighty percent hazard level ever again.

But as he stared at a suddenly peppy twenty-four year old lolita, sensing no mischievous Shinen whatsoever...

Her smile broadened when she saw his expression, absolutely _filled_ with surprise. Besides that, he really didn't know what to feel. His first thought was a dumb, '_how did it manage to get filled with Silent AGAIN?' _

He was curious... and horridly confused.

Then he was happy. _Really _happy. He was going to see everyone again... All of them, possibly more people as well! He could see their smiling faces right now... But his mind wanders.

Then he was curious again. He almost tipped his head up as he wondered how they were doing, what jobs they had-of course, a few were obvious-if they found partners, if they started families...

Then he was worried. What if something happened? Were they all doing okay monetary wise? Were any of them depressed? Most likely, but... Most of all... What if someone died? If one of his precious memories' flames burned out..?

And then he was scared. Dead scared. What if Nami was wrong? If they didn't remember him after all? How would they have even remembered? If Nami just _told _them, they wouldn't believe her for a second, he was sure. And what if one of them _was_ depressed? He couldn't comfort them in any way besides killing the Silent in them, if they were even infected. How would he find them if they weren't at their respectful places? It's not like he could scan every Shinen in the city he sensed. He could, but God knows how long it'd take...

Did he even want to find out if they remembered him or not? Was it inevitable?

Did the people who had made him smile a true smile for the first time in years... Did the people who opened his hard protective shell... Did they leave the world? Did they not recover their memories? If they did recover their memories, did they still forget him after eleven years? He had only known them for a month, so he wouldn't be surprised...

So many things could have gone wrong in his absence, and Atsuki found himself riding a train that lead to a cloud-filled world surrounded by disturbing and heart-breaking thoughts.

He was going to Japan. His homeland in two ways. Both ways, he now remembers, that he should have forgotten, that it was _required_ for him to forget about for obvious reasons. Both of them harboring very, very, oh so painfully happy and heartbreaking memories...

Natsuki's smile dropped like a brilliant bird soaring in the sky had been shot. The Shinen swirling inside of Atsuki was _not _happy. It was terrified. She thought this would have been excellent news... Atsuki repeated what Nami said to him, and Natsuki believed her. She was an awesome girl who knew a lot somehow, after all! There must've been a way that Atsuki's friends regained their memories, or she wouldn't have said it! Why is Atsuki so doubtful?

Atsuki immediatly fixed his expression to a small smile when he saw Natsuki looking at him with an unspoken concern. It didn't convince her, though. He tells her he's fine, but that doesn't convince her either. That smile looked forced. It felt awkward.

He sighs and walks to his dorm thinking, _'I hate it when I can't control myself...'_

He sat on his bed, rubbing his face with his hands exhaustedly. The same white room he'd been using for years, filled with the same simple necessities. A TV in front of a black loveseat, a desk with a black leather rotating chair against the northern wall, a computer on top of his desk, his personal kitchen and dining area in a room to the left of the doorway, a bathroom to the right, a bedroom to the left of the bathroom, a drawer, a closet, so on and so forth. Absolutely nothing from his past was kept in fear that he'd remember that horrid event that took place when he was young...

He fell backwards, bouncing as his back collided with the matress.

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

He furrows his brows and pulls his black blanket up to his shoulders. Reaching out, he flicks the light switch next to his bed, and closes his eyes. He withdraws his arm and uses it to lightly draw a pillow to him and latch onto it.

The darkness of the room was all-consuming, even with his eyes closed. The silence was killing him like Silent killed its victims. Before he would have found comfort in such silence, but with _them_ on his mind, he's having a rather hard time adjusting to the sound of nothing from outside, yet everything imaginable on the inside.

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

He can even hear his own heartbeat thudding against his chest, so powerfully pushing on everything around it with each beat it made him feel a little sick.

_'Why Kisaragi of all places,' _he protests in his mind. _'Why me? They know how I feel about that city and its people now, do they not? I just... I can't... It's worse than never going back... I'll want to meet them again-I want to already! But I can't! If I find out that something had happened, or if they don't remember at all... I've even hidden everything related to that city away to be forgotten about for good! I even got rid of that phone, no doubt they would have tried to send me a message..._

_Why do they wish to spite me?'_

Even his mind's voice trembled as he focused on sleeping, dreading the morning light. His thoughts are inconstant, always changing, but are always something about Kisaragi. He feels borderline addicted to the-apparently once-peaceful town.

_'If someone died...'_

It was the exact reason why he never really communicated with anyone from FORT ever again other than for business reasons. He tried to forget what love felt like, and he tried to forget what loss felt like, but his heart was far too soft now for that. It was obvious enough with all of the missions he has had since his stay in Kisaragi.

Sweat slowly spills from the pores of his body, sticking like mid-dry tears. His throat and chest tighten, the large lump tasting like blood. His eyes open and widened in shock; he hadn't been so emotional since... Well, ever since his family died, and he doesn't even know if _anything _has happened to them, let alone if they died or not.

He squeezed the pillow a little tighter, clenching his eyes shut and forcing his mind to go blank. But it only works for a second before those damned thoughts appear once again. He growls in frustration, starting to toss and turn in his bed. He can't find a comfortable position until he throws the blanket over his entire body, his uneven breath making the enclosed space humid, stuffy and so warmhe feels like he can compare it to a tent that had the sun in the summertime beat down on it for _hours._

It isn't comfortable either, and he peaks his face out of the blanket. It's much better, now he's incredibly warm, but not stuffy, and can calm down a little...

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

He's about ready to scream in frustration. He hugs the pillow tighter.

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

His jaw tightens as he clenches and unclenches his fingers.

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

His arm moves, subconciously "digging" at the pillow like a dog would the dirt or a cat would knead its favorite blanket. His hand grasps, tightens, releases, moves, grasps, tightens, and pulls.

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

His eyes clench. He can feel the tell-tale stinging sensation in his eyes. It's small, but it's still there.

And growing.

_**'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'**_

_'Stop. Now. This isn't you, Atsuki. Get a grip. You're getting worked up over nothing...'_ It calmed him down a little, and the chanting in his head ceased for a moment before starting again. He bares his teeth, scowling at nothing in particular.

He feels a tear trying to wiggle its way out of its tear duct and digs his face into the pillow, forbidding it to fall.

_**'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'**_

His jaw is so tight it hurts. His fingertips are sore from clawing at the pillow for who knows how long now.

_**'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisa-'**_

It stops suddenly. Just grinds to a hault. His mind goes blank and his eyes open again. He inhales a sharp breath.

He was saying that out loud.

His thoughts were so strong he didn't even hear him speak, nor did he take notice of his lips moving until that moment. And at that same moment, he notices that his fingers are surrounded by something much softer than the pillow should be...

Feathers.

He _tore through the blanket..._

_'How..?'_

Those midnight orbs close, trying to block out anything he is capable of seeing and focuses on his thoughts so he can try to sort out his emotions properly and calm down.

_'W-w-why... am I..?'_

He holds his breath, tembling as if he had just tredded through the nastiest of rain storms and had gotten sick on the way. His chest tightens even further, and now he simply _can't _breath. His shaking worsens. The mantra begins again, but just in his mind this time.

_'Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi...'_

He can't escape it.

Thoughts flood into his mind and his heart, filling him to the brim with all kinds of emotions. Images, voices, words, numbers, senses, scenes... They all intrude into his brain once again. He focuses on one image, and he only sees one thing before it flashes to another. The same thing happens. Skulls, blood, shadows, flowers, lacewings, animals, familiar faces...

They all flutter and flash away, and he just can't seem to regain control. Then one picture settles down before his minds eye, and he sees stars for a moment, before-

_**0Flashback0**_

_A small group of people surround the doors to a white building next to a very tall, very large, very old looking brick one. The sky is dotted with wispy white clouds, the sun shining down and the broad expanse of blue hovering above. They're chatting happily and mindlessly without a care in the world._

_A blunette with short, natural hair jumps up and down in her place a little, her eyes crackling with electric joy and annoyance in one. She looks like that one cousin that you're constantly jealous of because of her peppy happiness._

_A blue, wavy haired young man stands with her, calm and starkly contrasting the other blunette. However, his smile is bright. Albeit small, but bright. He radiates "that younger brother that you secretly aspire to be like, but always have to protect" because of his modest and clumsy nature._

_A green haired young man stands near the door, his grass-like hair bending and blowing in the gentle wind. His grin is painfully contagious, but everyone around him was already smiling. He has the air of an older brother, protective, strong, loyal, and ever so caring._

_A girl with red, flowing hair shyly stands a little further away, her crimson eyes looking around for any sign of the person they're waiting for. Her hands twirl around a lock of her hair, a nervous habit she hadn't grown out of. She's like a mother, kind and humble, but will give a scolding when need be. It's a soft scolding, but a scolding nontheless._

_A blue eyed boy with purple hair stands far off, not even being noticed by the others. He silently harrumphs, also keeping a look out for the missing man. He's like the cousin everyone forgets-just there as part of the background, then suddenly popping into existance when speaking, scaring everyone._

_The blunette girl, although she is happy as can be, stomps her foot on the ground and howls at the door._

_"Saijo, you're so late!"_

_Upon spotting a mysterious boy with silver hair and deep, abyssal eyes, she screams and looks back. She lets out another shout, seemingly tired of waiting for him and becoming rather ticked about it._

_"You're late! I said 'right after school'," she says when she walks to him, glaring and pouting with her arms held taught to her sides. She looks like a child who grew impatient with her mother while she was still getting her makeup done when they had to go somewhere. "Do you know how hungry we've gotten?!"_

_The boy with the grass mop appears beside her, looking at Atsuki with playful pity, humor dancing in his eyes._

_"Well, you didn't give him a time or a reason!" She looks down, frowning with a sort of guilty look on her face. Her pout grows in size, and her hands fold behind her back._

_"Um... B-but I said 'right after school'," she stubbornly argues, despite knowing her actions. The young man smiles, chuckling softly to himself while looking lovingly towards his sister figure._

_"Don't pout," he says with that smile still lingering-actually,broadening- on his face. "Let us in, Saijo!" The silver haired boy, Atsuki Saijo, nods his head once, before showing them to his apartment._

_"We got together to have a little party! Cool, huh," Akira says while following Atsuki on the way to his room, somewhere in the early six-hundreds. He doesn't even turn his head though; he just continues walking, his eyes looking at each door number._

_"... Okay." The martial artist sweatdrops at the simple, yet unclear word. He wonders if that is a good sign or not, his brow furrowing a little. The boy is a complete enigma. They stop just outside of his door, #603, Atsuki bringing out his key. "I'll clean up a bit. You guys wait here."_

_Shutting the door behind him(and into his friends' faces), Atsuki makes quick work of putting all of his FORT equipment away. Luckilly, the big, black desk with his 'FORT use only' computer has wheels._

_With everything out of the way, his room seems even duller than before, but it has a nice, comforting atmosphere nontheless. The wooden flooring, the green carpet under a brown table, his black sofa, the wooden balcony doors, and an oversized beige curtain bring some life to his off-white apartment. Sofisticated, but not suffocating._

_Right as he finishes, Akira practically screams from the other side of the door._

_"Hey! Dude-that's not cool!"_

_Akira swings the door open, holding his bruised nose with his right hand and the door knob with his left. He glares at Atsuki, who just stares blankly at him._

_"Wow, your place is actually really clean," Mika, the blunette, exclaims with a bright smile on her face after she barges in past Akira. "It's okay you guys, come on in!"_

_The others welcome themselves in, closing the door behind them._

_"Thanks, Saijo," Ryo, the young black kimono wearing "brother" says, pointedly looking at the ashen haired teen._

_"Please pardon the intrusion, Saijo," Yayoi, the "mother", politely and warmly greets with a small smile adorning her shining face._

_"I made a really good cake, just for today!" Akira settles himself on the sofa, a huge white and brown box with the word "Sweet Ring" in cursive in hand. He sets it on top of the table and smiles up at Atsuki. "Look forward to it!" Mika walks up to Atsuki, her smile twitching downwards in annoyance._

_"Only Rui's left. She's soooo slow!" Just then, the doorbell rings and Atsuki walks over to open it. He noticed Shinji in the corner, a blank stare settling on the computer nerd's face. The mysterious teen slightly smirks, as if he's saying, "don't worry, I know you exist, unlike everyone else". Shinji slightly smiles at him, but quickly frowns again and looks away, mumbling too soft for anyone to hear._

_He opens the door, a curly haired blonde rushing past and turning on her heel to look at him. Her myrtle eyes shine with an apology as she twiddles with a curl falling down her shoulder. She has the air of an older sister about her, playful but powerful. Atsuki shuts the door and turns towards her._

_"Sorry! I got held up filing papers," she nearly stutters. Mika burningly glares at her, and she sticks her tongue out with a sheepish smile on her face. The journalist then turns and walks to the middle of the room, beaming at everyone._

_"Okay, everyone's here! Except Hibiki... Where is he?" Mika tilts her head in confusion. He was a friend, too, despite everyone except for Ryo not really knowing him too well._

_"Said he had an errand to run for Ms. Honoka, so he couldn't make it," Ryo says, having met him that morning while he was, once again, locked out of his home. "He said he'd make up for the absence later."_

_"Well, his loss," Mika shrugs. "Anyway, let's start the party preparations," she yells, her voice booming into the halls. She exaggerates this with a fist pump, and a chorus of "yeah"s echo throughout the room._

_They happily start getting the food ready, chips, dips, various other snacks and beverages on the table along with the cake. They forbid Atsuki from helping, as this party is being held _for _him, not _by _him. Akira, being the tallest at 5'7, sets up streamers and ribbons all over the ceiling of the apartment. Mika, who had brought balloons, sets them free. Rui, who brought the party hats, strapped one hat on each person-except for poor little Shinji._

_Atsuki grunts when she grabs him from behind, keeps his head still, and straps one onto it. He looks into the reflection of the TV, wide-eyed in shock at what he saw. He didn't expect to be forced into a little party, just welcoming him to the city. It hadn't happened before._

_Rui sets the hats down on the table next to the cake. "Ooh, CAKE," she exclaims when she spots it. Shinji sighs, walks over and grabs his own party hat and skulks back into his corner, Atsuki inwardly snickering. He wasn't the only one who was awkward at parties anymore._

_Everyone, their necks getting itchy from the string of the hats, almost simultaniously takes them off. Mika glares at the fortune teller who brought the things in the first place._

_"What are these things _made _of?!" She sighs, failing at being on time _and _supplying a fun little item. Rui lowers her head in defeat and glances apologetically at everyone._

_"Oh, and Akira brought the cake! Now we need plates," Mika says, looking over the room._

_"I'll get them," Yayoi offers. "Can I use your kitchen, Saijo?" Ryo resists correcting Yayoi, who said "can I" instead of saying "may I". Atsuki nods at her, and she happily heads towards the location. Ryo offers to help Yayoi, and they leave._

_"Who wants soda," Akira asks over everyone else, and they all-except for Shinji and Atsuki- nod enthusiastically. A few of them exclaim their need for the carbonated drink, surrounding the beverages and staring at them as if they're gods. Atsuki just walks over to him-teens _need _their soda-and Shinji just stays put and watches._

_Mika, after sipping her soda, stares at the cake with need. She looks over it a couple of times, examining it like a new product at a grocery store. She bounces in place, looks around, and takes a huge step towards the box. Unable to wait any longer, she lifts up her hands, wiggles her fingers as if she were casting a spell, and opens it with verocious vigor._

_Akira tried hard to write "Welcome to Kisaragi City" on the chocolate with white frosting cake, topped with the best strawberries they had. Each strawberry was cut in half and leaning against a blueberry and another half-strawberry. The handwriting was surprisingly good, making it look all the more delectible. Atsuki peers over Mika and looks at it, smiling pleasantly at the sight._

_"Looks good," he comments. Akira blushes a little, feeling special that he made Atsuki show what he felt for once-and that feeling was good._

_"Well... I really tried, so I hope so!" He chuckles a little, feeling proud. Mika jumps between the two and clears her throat, holding her glass._

_"Welcome to Kisaragi City,"____she booms, and the others nod and repeat it._

_**"**_**Welcome to Kisaragi City, Atsuki!"**

_Even Shinji joined in that time, though his voice was small. Atsuki slightly blushes at the attention, not used to it, but very grateful. This is honestly the first time he felt happy in a long while..._

_They all hold up their soda glasses in cheers, and take a swift swig._

_"Let's take a photo before the cake's gone," Mika exclaims, Akira hovering over the cake with a knife in hand. He smiles and sets it down, and they all gather together in front of said cake. Mika sets her camera up in front of everyone and looks into the viewfinder to focus the lens. "Okay then, get together!" She pointedly glares at the telepath in the group who has a blank look on his face._

_"_**Smile, Saijo**." _He just blinks at her in quiet defiance. She shakes her head, thinking that he's hopeless. "Everyone ready? Let me in," she yells, jumping in before the camera sets off. Akira gets a small idea in the back of his head to make the picture look just a _little _bit happier. At the last moment, Akira jumps up from beside Atsuki and-_

_**"CLICK!"**_

_Mika can be seen jumping in at the last second, shooting a peace sign into the air and smiling dopilly. Behind her, Ryo gives a modest cheer with his glass, and in front of her, Rui broadly stretches her arms around the cake, presenting it with a kissy face and a wink to the camera. Yayoi is smiling on the other side of the cake, the broadest open-mouthed grin that anyone has ever seen on her filling her face. Shinji scooted out of his corner and into the picture a little, not wanting to be completely left out._

_And Akira is bending over Atsuki, comically pulling at Atsuki's cheeks with his pointer fingers to force him to smile. A modest blush is covering their faces, and a sort of annoyed but incredibly shocked look is painted on Atsuki's normally stoic face. His menacing black jacket not present, he almost looks huggable in the picture._

_They step away from each other and huddle over the camera, wanting to get a look._

_"Alright! Everyone fit in just right... Huh?" Mika looks around the room, and her eyes widen as they land on a certain lonely grape. "Shinji, why are you here?!"_

_Shinji scoffed, feeling slightly offended by this. Only slightly._

_"Hey, that's not very nice. Who said to meet up at Saijo's after school today?" Mika glances at him apologetically, blushing almost madly._

_"Hahaha... Did I invite you..?" Shinji stomped on the ground like Mika did earlier, except softer. He "tch"d, glaring at the girl._

_"Yeah, you did! You _threatened _me!"_

_"H-hey," Yayoi shyly interrupted. "These are all soooo delicious! Let's hurry up and eat, okay?" Her attempt at pacifying the two before a fight inturrupted Atsuki's party apparently worked, and Mika suddenly sped to the cake, knocking Akira to the side as he landed on his butt with an "oof". He glared at the hyper blunette._

_"Hahaha! I got all the strawberries!"_

_"Hey, Mika! That big one is mine," Rui glared as she loomed over her. Ryo just pouts as a "whatever" leaves his lips. Yayoi tells Mika that she's taking too much, but she blatantly ignores her._

_"Ah, hey Mika, put it on a plate and THEN eat it," Shinji squeaks as Mika just starts devouring the berries one by one while getting her plate. He then yells at her when she grabs a fork and ruthlessly stabs the poor cake with it. She bites a piece out of it, then using her used fork again, she jabs it into the whole cake. Rui stomps over to Akira, rips the knife from his grasp, shoves Mika aside, and slices the cake up with frustration._

_"Hey Yamase, you can't cut it into seven pieces like that." Ryo said, Akira getting up and rubbing at his sore bum lightly._

_"So it's gonna be like this?" He groaned, then smiled at Atsuki, who was just watching the scene play out before him. "Saijo, if you wait around they're going to eat it all. Hey, grab your fork!" Atsuki does just that, then sweatdrops towards the mass of people huddling over the cake. "Ready, go for it!"_

_**0End Flashback0**_

Atsuki remembers this fondly, and calms down a little before shuddering.

Fighting over cake and eating Yayoi's cookies, everyone enjoyed themselves in the happy, peaceful atmosphere, including himself. He softly chuckles to himself as he remembers Shinji's rant about how Enokida seems creepy and Akira's reaction to finding out that Inagaki had a crush on his father.

Especially when Yayoi blatantly said, "oh yeah, because that guy's gay, right," when Akira said that Shunichi was a regular customer.

So many fond memories, but out of all of them... He missed this one the most...

He dug his face into the pillow again, and with another shudder, lets those stubborn tears escape. He couldn't take it anymore, and he didn't know why. He was so strong... Never before had he let his emotions get to him, but now...

Why now?

000

Natsuki runs up to Atsuki's room a few minutes later, sensing the horridly distraught Shinen coming from the man and bringing Nola along. She takes a moment to ponder if she should knock or not, but decides against it, and slowly turns the nob.

She wanders into the plain room, the same as she remembered it the last time she was in here. She creeps to Atsuki's bedroom, Nola following suit. They both know this is an invasion of privacy, but...

Nola takes the lead and peeks her head through his bedroom door. Natsuki flinches back, all sorts of muddled Shinen hovering around Atsuki's bed and, more importantly, Atsuki. They tip-toe up to the powerful telepath, a depressed lion without a lamb.

"Atsuki..? Are you awake?" Natsuki doesn't get an answer, but instead the heavy breaths and soft snores of sleep from him. Knowing that he's asleep and alright for now, she smiles fondly yet sadly at the same time. Suddenly a shadow appeared behind them, and with a gasp, they turned around to see...

"... Liu Yee?! What are you doing here? Don't sneak up on us like-"

"Tomorrow," the FALCO sweeper interrupted. They tilt their heads in confusion, prompting further explanation. "Tomorrow, do not speak a word to him. It'll only make this worse. He needs to sort it out on his own." Natsuki holds her hands to her chest, and Nola takes a small step forward.

"Liu Yee," she whispered so she would not awaken the sleeping source of the suffocating amount of pure raw emotion around them, "if you know... tell us the full extent of the damage done to him. Tell us exactly what he's going through... please." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading and filled with motherly worry. His eyes downcast, however, and she knows that there is not much good news.

"He needs to sort this out on his own," he repeats softly and sadly, causing them both to jump and almost gasp from the surprise. "But... even then, we'll be going with him. He needs quiet support, and if he... _**... **_... then he'll need us to fix him..." Natsuki and Nola didn't need to hear what he said to know what he meant. To think that _that _would happen to Atsuki however... It's practically taboo just thinking about it.

_'Let's hope we _can _fix him,' _the thirty-five year old man thought depressingly. After listening to Atsuki's disturbing mantra, he could have fainted. There was nothing scarier than hearing a stoic and calm man, his partner, and quite possibly the most powerful man in the world slowly cracking under the force of his own thoughts.

Hell, Atsuki didn't even notice when Liu Yee invaded his mind, picking out the happy, nostaglic memory and the hidden sadness within it. He saw the twenty-eight year old man shift under the covers and shudder.

He shivered when he heard something from the telepath once again. That same chanting...

_"Kisaragi, Kisaragi, Kisaragi..."_

000

The morning he awoke, he was confused at the sudden silence of the others.

He didn't mind their silence, however. It was kind of refreshing, to be honest. Especially with the next mission at hand... He thanked whatever deity may be watching that none of them even confronted him, just gave him aknowledging nods.

They hadn't even spoke to him when he started packing. He was infinitely curious now, but if he tried to read their minds, they'd know and put a barrier up. It'd be very inconvenient if he had to explain why he tried to break their mind's barrier. Very inconvenient indeed... Not that he would even talk. Needless to say, he wasn't in a very chatty mood, and his glare would immediatly scare any other person off*.

He hadn't known that his partner, Liu Yee, read his Shinen, assuming that the entirety of the jumbled up mess of colors and emotions were his own. He _had _been rather emotional at the news. Too much so. It was surprising. Shocking. Scary. Completely unacceptable for a telepath.

_'Have I been infected?'_

He shook off the thought. If he was, he would've felt the damned insect's presence in his mind.

When he set off and Liu Yee, Natsuki,Chouko, Kenshin and Nola came with him, he was even more suspicious. They still hadn't said a word. That is until they were mid-flight, heading to Japan from their main base in America...

"I can't take it anymore," Natsuki whispers, fidgeting in the seat beside him. "Atsuki... Are you going to be okay? I know it's waaaay late, but you can still turn back and refuse to go through with this mi-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted. '_They read my Shinen last night. Hm.' _His face remains blank. Of course, that was the most obvious reason why they should be silent, so he wasn't too surprised when she asked this, but more so that she didn't break down and ask sooner.

He doesn't think too much of their invasion, either. It's not like they haven't done it before. They already know his darkest secrets, this is just one more to add. However, it is still... aggravating. His mouth twitches only slightly, but the younger telepath still catches it, as well as the twins in the seats opposite to him.

"Oh, come _on, _ghosty eyes! Even dragon dick over here," Kenshin points to a scowling Liu Yee in the third seat next to the window, "knows you're goin' through deep shit over this. So the two o' us dunno what the hell's goin' on with ya, but we know you ain't good." His nose scrunches and he folds his arms, annoying the passenger in front of him by kicking his feet up against it. Said passenger looks behind him and scowls, but Kenshin just bares his teeth at him.

"Er, what Kenshin means is..." Chouko looks at Liu Yee, who is currently glaring at Natsuki and Kenshin. "Sorry, I know he's supposed to sort this out on his own, but... You need to know that, even though we don't really know you too well, you still know the others, and you can still rely on us... Okay?" She folds her hands together and lays them on her lap, her thin brows pulling closer in suffocatingly kind concern for her Senpai.

Atsuki breaths through his nose and turns towards her, softening his gaze.

"I'm _fine _now_, _Chouko. There is nothing to worry about..." _'For you, anyway...' _He almost smacks himself for that thought. Nontheless, he kindly smiles at her, genuinly greatful for all of their concern. She sighs and just drops the subject. Natsuki's frown only deepens, but she pulls back as well. Kenshin only grunts, understanding that he won't be opening up anytime soon. He didn't really care too much, but he _did _have to work with the guy, and nothing's more annoying than a depressed co-worker... Except for Liu Yee, that is.

The rest of the ride is carried on in awkward silence, only interrupted by the mindless chatter coming from other passengers.

A couple more hours pass, and finally, Japan is in sight. This is announced on the intercom, and Atsuki looks out the window, gulping at the large island. And on one coast, a dot on the land...

Was Kisaragi City.

He feels something shudder in the back of his mind...

**00**

**FORESHADOWIIINGAH! *ahem* Sorry.**

***Imagine Lelouch Lamperouge's glare. Yeah... That was one angry kitty. D:**

**And yes, I did change a bit of the 'Welcome to Kisaragi' scene. For one, there were no colorful decorations put up in Atsuki's apartment. Nor were party hats ever mentioned. I just decided to put that there randomly. :p**

**One thing I've noticed on here is that people misspell 'martial', and instead put 'material' or something close to that. Another one is 'definitely', where people put 'defiantly'. Defiantly is opposing someone's order. Er, you know, rebellious. Material is matter that something can be made from.**

**Since it would ruin whatever mood is in here, I put Liu Yee's description in the AN...**

**Liu Yee, 5'8, born in China. His onyx hair is swept back but long, down just past the middle of his back. His eyes are like Atsuki's, but more piercing and much, much colder. Almost completely lacking in sympathy. He is very skinny, pale, and borderline anorexic looking, but is lean under the material. Wears a white button-up shirt under a red vest with black dragon print, black slacks coupled with black shoes making him look like some sort of modern Chinese restaurant bartender. His Lux-Pain is in the form of an earring, which he wears as a brooch. He is a Sweeper. His hobbies include practicing Kung-Fu and using it on Kenshin, who just looooves to piss him off.**

**Hmmm... I have too much school... Can't work on this much anymore... Urk. D: And it probably sucks. Curse my brain hurt, curse it to the very depths of a hell greater in heat than one sextillion suns! And THAT, my friend, is a LOT of suns. 21 zeros! Seven multiplied ten to the twenty-first power! Grrrah.**


End file.
